


Straight to the Top

by Souless_Robot



Series: Yugioh Au-gust [5]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: AU-gust 2020, Alternate Universe - Bands, Battle of the Bands, Drummer Jaden, Female Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler, Female Kaiba Seto, Folk Singer Joey Wheeler, Friendship, Gen, Music, Music Prodigy Chazz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25944079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Souless_Robot/pseuds/Souless_Robot
Summary: Joey is a folk singer trying to break into the mainstream with her childhood friend Yugi. Too bad she gets nothing but problems most from the Kaiba corp record label run by the young CEO and music prodigy Seto Kaiba. But she will show that prissy rich girl exactly where she can shove it when Yugi and her win the annual Kaiba Corp Battle of the Bands. The only problem is that apparently two does not make a band.
Relationships: Joey Wheeler & Chazz Princeton, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler & Kaiba Seto, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler & Mutou Yuugi, Manjoume Jun | Chazz Princeton & Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Series: Yugioh Au-gust [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862191
Kudos: 3
Collections: AUgust 2020





	Straight to the Top

The violin stopped and the stadium was silent. 

Wet blotches dripped onto her stained t-shirt. It was so beautiful. It was like someone took her heart out of her chest, spun it into a string, and wove the universe out of it. Every nerve in her body was on edge. She felt overwhelmed and numb all at once. The music screamed of pain, of loneliness. She’d never heard music like that before but it broke her heart and Seto Kaiba was the one playing it. 

Kaiba’s face was as stoic as ever as she took a bow, her violin carefully tucked into her sides. The white coattails of her suit flickered out with a flourish as she dipped to the roaring applause of the crowd at Carnegie Hall. 

Jo wanted her music to sound like that. She clutched the beat-up pawnshop guitar closer to her chest. She wanted to make people see her. To make them recognize her pain to cry in anguish and express it all without words just like Seto Kaiba seemed to be able to do. 

She glanced around at the disgusting apartment that surrounded her. Her father was passed out on the couch from his last night of drinking. Beer bottles were scattered across the floor. She gritted her teeth and rolled her sleeves up to start cleaning. Someday she would get out of this place and music would take her. She wasn’t going to be poor Joesphina Wheeler with the drunkard father someday the world would know her name. 

* * *

“It won’t sell.” Seto Kaiba looked pointedly down at them as she clicked away at her keyboard. She was wearing a navy pantsuit that Joey could tell was more expensive than anything she owned. 

“Excuse me?” Joey said, trying to keep her voice calm as she looked at the CEO. 

“I don’t know I can be any clearer. This trash would never make the billboards.” 

Joey clenched her hands, her fingernails dug into her palms. 

“Yeah well, what would you know about art?” 

The brunette in front of her smirked, “Far more than you I would think. Not that I would call that screeching art.”

She flew to her feet instantly, spitting like a cat, “Fuck you!” 

“Jo!” Yugi gasped. He already had his hand on her elbow trying to gently tug her back into her seat after the outburst.

The brunette CEO narrowed her eyes and tapped her perfectly manicured red nails on her desk twice,

“And I think we’re done here. Leave.”

“I’ll leave when I’m good and goddam ready to! You didn’t even listen to the full song!” 

How dare she. How dare some rich girl living up here in her fucking penthouse call their music worthless. How dare she make light of all the work, all the pain and memories that Yugi and her poured into their songs. Who the fuck did she think she was?

It didn’t matter. Joey didn’t care if she was the fucking Queen of England she wasn’t about to let that stand. She planted her feet and glared. I was taking all of her self control to not throw a fist into the CEO’s smug perfectly make-uped face. 

“Security!” Kaiba called flatly. It was a dismissal. Joey was ready to punch someone and if that was security so be it. She didn’t care how big of a scene she made. 

“No. Please Ms. Kaiba I’ll handle it.” Yugi murmured as he grabbed both of Joey’s arms and tugged them firmly behind her back before he started dragging her out the door. 

Joey made eye contact as she was forcibly removed. Brown met blue. The CEO’s eyes were as icy as her heart. 

“You’ll regret this! We’re going to make it so big and we’re never going to sign with Kaiba Corp not even if you get on your knees and fucking beg!”

The brunette cast one more sneer her way before turning back to her computer and saying, “I very much doubt that.”

* * *

“I wasn’t going to sit there and let that bitch trash our music Yug!” Joey explained to her partner. Yugi wasn’t mad. He didn’t scream but she could tell he was still disappointed in her. She deflated under his gaze. It was hard to stay mad when Yugi looked at her like she’d just kicked his puppy. 

“I know Jo. it’s just I wish sometimes…” He sighed, “It doesn’t matter, I was really hoping we could get a record deal with Kaiba Corp but it seems like that bridge is burned.”

“Good riddance,” Joey muttered darkly, “Hey, come on Yug’ I know what will cheer you up. Let’s go to Burger World. Tea’s working today!” She wriggled her eyebrows knowing at her friend as he blushed. 

“Okay, I suppose we don’t have our next gig until tonight.”

Joey pumped her fist in the air. First, they would eat some comfort food, and then they would plot their next course into the music world. 

* * *

They left the subway. The doors clicking closed behind them as the train rushed on. Joey playfully shoved Yugi up the stairs, “Come on those burgers aren’t gonna eat themselves!” 

“Jo, slow down,” Yugi whined. He was panting as Joey took the stairs two at a time. 

“Yeah, yeah Yug’.” Something caught her eyes on the edge of the station. It was poster stained with bright red and clashing blue. She stepped close enough to read it while Yugi finally managed to fight his way to the top of the stairs and into the street. 

“Oh, that’s perfect!” Joey’s feet hopped up and down in a little jig as she tore the poster off the wall. She ran over to Yugi and without warning shoved the poster in his face. He spluttered, pulling the poster away so he could read the paper. 

“Kaiba Corps Annual Battle of the Bands?” Yugi read, quirking an eyebrow at her. 

“It’s streamed live all over the world Yugi! Imagine the exposure. Someone would have to pick us up!” 

“I don’t know Jo; we’ve never done anything this big before.” Yugi chewed nervously at his bottom lip. He was an amazing keyboardist and singer. Despite playing venues together since they were fourteen Yugi still got stage fright at the thought of big crowds. Joey gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She knew they could do it. 

“Exactly! Besides it’s hosted by Kaiba Corp!” 

“I thought you didn’t want a record deal with Kaiba Corp. You screamed about it all the way to the lobby.”

“I don’t! But I can’t wait to see Kaiba’s face when we win and rip up the contract in front of the world. No one has ever done that in all of the twenty years of this competition! I can’t think of a more iconic way to say fuck you!”

Yugi sighed fondly. 

“Yug,” She begged as she turned her puppy dog eyes on her best friend full force, “Pleasssee.”

“Okay, let’s do it. I kind of want to see Kaiba’s face too.”

Jo cackled and slapped her shorter friend on the back, “I knew there was a reason why you’re my best friend.” 

* * *

It takes Joey  _ two days _ to get all the paperwork for their band completed. The stack of forms is taller than the packet she had to complete to apply to high school. Honestly, it was insane and it had Joey muttering curses at the Kaiba Corp CEO all afternoon which did nothing to brighten her mood. She jabbed the pen down forcefully and initialed the last page violently. 

She let out a content sigh. This was the last page and the only thing they needed now was Yugi’s signature and to walk it to the registration office. She looked down at her phone to check the time. It was 1:53 p.m. Perfect, Yugi was supposed to drop by at two so they could drop the paperwork off together. 

Joey slipped her beat-up converse on and laced them up. She shoved the packet of paperwork under her arm and grabbed her pen as she made her way to the apartment door. A chime echoed through the room. She smiled; there was Yugi, prompt as ever. 

* * *

“What do you mean we can’t join?” Joey slammed her hand down on the counter. The man at the registration booth flinched back. He dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. 

“It’s just like I said very clearly in the by-laws. Two isn’t a band. The required band size is four.”

“Since when?” Yugi asked confused, “Two years ago Marik and Ryou won and they were a duo.” 

“Since this year. It’s a recent change in the competition of the rules. Came down from the CEO herself. I can’t accept your registration.” 

Joey gritted her teeth and saw red. 

“When did the rules change?” Yugi asked, calmly putting a hand on her arm, “I read through the competition rules that were published a week ago and saw no reference to band size.”

“Five days ago. Kaiba Corp said there were enough duos and they wouldn’t be accepting any more.” 

Joey’s jaw clenched down so fast she barely avoided biting her tongue. Kaiba! That bitch she did this on purpose! Five days ago that was when Yugi and her had left her office. There was no other explanation, Kaiba had changed the rules so that they couldn’t compete. How Kaiba had even known they were going to sign up was beyond her but she didn’t doubt that the CEO was petty enough to do it. Joey angrily pushed her bangs back from her face.

“Okay, it’s fine.” Joey pointed her finger at the man behind the counter, “You just stay right there. We’ll be back.” 

“Jo- what are you thinking?” Yugi protested as Joey manhandled her friend away from the booth. 

“We are going to go find two more people to join our band and then we are going to blow everyone else out of the water!” 

“What?” Her bandmate spluttered, “We need to find two new band members and the registration deadline is tomorrow. If -and that’s a big if- we could even find two other people, they’d be people we’ve never played with before. It’s two weeks until the first round. Jo this is insane.”

She stuck her chin out as she turned to face her best friend, “Yugi, do you trust me?”

“Yes, of course.” He said instantly. She smiled at the unwavering faith in his eyes. 

“Yugi we can do this. I know our music is special and we can share it with the world.”

Yugi sighed, “It’s a long shot we’d be underdogs.”

Joey could tell his heart wasn’t in the argument. 

“Yug’ everyone loves an underdog.”

* * *

“Craigslist? Are you really sure this is the best way to do this?” Yugi asked as he peered over her shoulder at the computer. 

“Do you have any better ideas?” 

“No…”

“Then we’re doing it.” Joey clicked the post button and watched as a new ad popped up at the top of the page. 

**BAND MEMBERS WANTED! Any instrument and music style accepted. TEXT XXX-XXX-XXX For more information.**

* * *

They’d had exactly one response to their ad. The texter had a love for emoji’s that Joey had never seen before. At Yugi’s recommendation, they’d scheduled to meet the texter at a downtown cafe just to be safe. Joey wasn’t concerned one way or another if some weirdo decided to get creepy with them the public setting wouldn’t do anything to deter her from sending them packing with more than a couple bruises. 

Yugi, ever the planner, had texted their potential future bandmates the art above their table so they’d be able to find them in the cafe. Their texter responded with two thumbs up.

Joey was nervously looking up every time the door chimed. Registration was one day away and if this didn’t work out they’d be shit out of luck. The bell on the door rang again and a young teenage boy walked in. He looked about fifteen and was wearing a vibrant red jacket that had Joey raising her eyebrows. It wasn’t tasteful but it was certainly eye-catching. 

The brown-haired kid looked around the cafe before his eyes landed on the picture of a cat that was over their table. He made a beeline for them. On second thought, maybe Yugi was right about the craigslist ad being a bad idea. 

“Hi!” The bubbly kid greeted with a huge smile. He was practically vibrating out of his skin, “I’m Jaden and this is Chazz. We saw your ad!” Joey blinked as she realized there really were two people. The younger boy had such a bright presence she hadn’t even noticed the sulky teenager in the long black trench coat that was standing right behind him. 

“Uh hi,” Joey sent them a little wave and then gestured for them to join them at the table. Jaden plopped down, throwing himself in the chair and immediately helping himself to her fries. She raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything as the kid ate her fries like a starving man. She didn’t really mind. She remembered being a teenager and always being hungry. It was a hell of a first impression for the kid though. 

The other boy- Chazz huffed and rolled his eyes at Jaden’s behavior before primly pulling out his chair and delicately sitting down. He acted like he was some kind of royalty. It made the back of her neck itch in irritation. Something about this kid’s attitude reminded her of Seto Kaiba’s. 

“So, I think there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding.” Yugi said tactfully, “We were looking for uh- bandmates that are a little older.” 

“That’s great so are we!” Jaden said through a mouthful of fries. 

Joey resisted the urge to facepalm. This kid was dense. 

“Look, kid, I’m Joey and this is Yugi. Thanks for responding to our ad but you guys look about twelve there’s no way you guys can play in bars. We aren’t looking for people to join a garage band.”

Chazz scoffed and rolled his eyes as he picked faintly at a napkin, “I guess you can find someone else by tomorrow to fill your two spots in the Kaiba Corp Battle of the Bands.” 

Joey’s eyes widened and she shared a look of shock with Yugi. How did this kid know?

“Let’s go Jaden I told you this was a waste of our time.” Chazz loudly pushed his chair back. 

“Aww come on Chazzeroo, don’t be like that,” Jaden whined and slumped further into the table. It looked like he wasn’t going anywhere soon. Chazz made an annoyed grunt in the back of his throat. 

“Are you guys even old enough?” Joey blurted out. Chazz turned and looked at her again. His grey eyes boring into hers. 

“Yes, I’m eighteen and Jaden may look like a child but he’s actually seventeen.” 

Joey nodded. The regulations that Yugi and her had spent the last day combing through said anyone seventeen or older could participate. 

“How did you know we were planning to do the KC competition?”

The raven scowled again, but he sat down. Angry unhappiness seemed to be his default state of being, “It’s obvious. We were looking for the same thing due to the last minute changes.” 

That made sense. That made a lot of sense even if Joey still wasn’t sure about these two. She groaned internally. They were the only people that responded to the ad anyways. 

She leaned her head closer to Yugi’s to whisper, “What do you think pal?” 

“Do we have a choice?”

And wasn’t that the crux of it. She hoped they could actually play an instrument, but if not, hell she’d give them tambourines and put them up on stage they needed the bodies. 

“Okay kiddos you’re in. Sign your life away on the dotted line,” With a flourish she fished out the registration papers and pen, slamming them down on the table. 

Jaden grabbed the pen and quickly scribbled his name on. Chazz moved much more leisurely as his signature came out in elegant calligraphic loops. 

After they finished Yugi tucked the papers under his arm, “I’ll go drop these off.” 

“Thanks, Yug’.” 

With a smile, Yugi waved goodbye to their new band members and headed for the door, “See you at practice!” 

“So,” Joey said as she fished the last fry off her plate, “What do you guys’ play?”

Chazz mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘Great she’s just like Jaden’. Joey ignored him as she watched Jaden perk up. 

“I play the drums and Chazz can play anything. Oh, and he can sing too. Really well but he doesn’t like it.” Jaden tugged at his friend excitedly. 

“Shut up slacker!” The dark-haired boy hissed, glaring at his companion as a faint flush colored his pale cheeks. 

“Uh-” Joey really wasn’t sure how to take these two, “Anything?”

Chazz dipped his head in agreement but it was Jaden that spoke up, “Yeah Chazzaroo here is a bit of a music prodigy like Seto Kaiba he can play anything by ear.” 

Her eyes widened. That was… well unexpected. She squinted at the teenager. It would be nice right now if she was a human lie detector because well that was quite a claim. 

“Why is Dark City competing?” Jaden asked as he tapped his foot idly, “I thought you guys only did smaller venues.” 

Joey’s eyes widened, “You’ve heard of our band?” 

“Oh for sure!” Jaden says, elbowing his friend if you could really call the odd couple in front of her friends. Chazz responds with another heated glare. “Obviously we didn’t know it was you when we responded to the ad, but hey at least we know you’re good. Chazz is a huge fan of yours. He even introduced me to your music! I think he’s been to just about every one of your concerts.” 

“Jaden-” Chazz hissed clamping a hand over the brunette’s mouth. 

Joey laughed, “Always nice to meet a fan.” 

Chazz turned beat red. Okay, maybe this would work out. Even if it didn’t Joey could tell this was going to be fun. 

**Author's Note:**

> For the Au-gust 2020 prompt: Battle of the Bands AU. I got into this idea a lot more than I thought I would and I have to say I will probably be coming back to this sometime in the future to write more and actually get into the competition. I have far too many thoughts about chaotic Jaden the drummer and music prodigy Chazz to leave it as is. Not to mention I may or may not have a whole backstory for Kaiba cooked up in this au! So yes, in short, more band au at some indefinite time in the future. Also is it just me or are we fanfic writers seriously dropping the ball on more Joey and anyone in GX interactions? I started this and realized I don't think I've read any other fics that have Joey interacting with the GX crew. 
> 
> Anyways hope you enjoyed!


End file.
